Kevin Stranack

The reSearcher Software Suite: A Case Study of Library Collaboration and Open Source Software Development

ABSTRACT This article examines the importance of library collaboration as demonstrated by the development of reSearcher, an open source software project at the Simon Fraser University Library, in British Columbia, Canada. A brief history of the project is provided, as well as an overview of each of the projects components, which offer electronic resource management, link resolving, personal citation management, and federated searching capabilities. The importance of libraries working together to ensure the success of the project is discussed, as well as the benefits received by members of the international library community participating in this open source alternative.

The Public Knowledge Project and Open Journal Systems: open source options for small publishers

This article provides an overview of the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) and its open source software development projects, with a particular focus on Open Journal Systems (OJS), an online journal publishing platform now used by over 11,500 journals around the world. OJS is just one of many examples of software and services that provide new and cost‐effective alternatives, especially for small scholarly societies and commercial publishers. The development of online publishing, open source software, and virtual communities are together opening up new opportunities for scholars, researchers, societies, small publishers, and librarians to reassert their independence and control over the publishing process, and provides a wider range of options than has ever existed before.

dbWiz: Open Source Federated Searching for Academic Libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences of developing an open source federated searching tool. It is hoped that it will generate interest not only in dbWiz, but in the many other open source projects either completed or in development at the Simon Fraser University Library and at other libraries around the world.Design/methodology/approach – The methods used in this paper include reviewing of related literature, analysis of other federated search tools, and the observation and description of the development process at the Simon Fraser University Library.Findings – The paper discusses the benefits and challenges faced in developing an open source federated searching tool for libraries. As a case study, it demonstrates the strength of the collaborative, open source development model. The paper also describes the key features required of any federated searching tool.Originality/value – Federated searching is becoming an important new product for both academic and public libraries, ...

The Public Knowledge Project and the Simon Fraser University Library : A Partnership in Open Source and Open Access

ABSTRACT The Public Knowledge Project is an ongoing collaboration between academics, librarians, publishers, editors, and software developers, working together to build alternatives in scholarly publishing. The project has developed a suite of open source software that significantly reduces the time and expense required for producing academic journals and conferences, and facilitates making research results freely available through open access. This article examines the history of the project, provides an overview of its open source software, discusses the growing community participating in the project, and considers its future directions.

The Public Knowledge Project: Open Source Tools for Open Access to Scholarly Communication

This chapter describes how the Public Knowledge Project, a collective of academics, librarians, and technical genies, has been, since 1998, building open source software (free) publishing platforms that create an alternative path to commercial and subscription-based routes to scholarly communication. It sets out how its various website platforms, including Open Journal Systems, Open Conference Systems, and, recently, Open Monograph Press, provide a guided path through the editorial workflow of submission, review, editing, publishing and indexing. Thousands of faculty members around the world are now using the software to publish independent journals on a peer-reviewed and Open Access basis, greatly increasing the public and global contribution of research and scholarship.

Revolution in the Stacks: A Bibliography of Selected Multimedia Anarchist Resources in English

Provides a selective bibliography of English language multimedia resources for librarians, teachers, students, and activists interested in anarchism. Includes lists of suggested books, encyclopedias, journals, music, Web sites, e-books, videos, and indexes, as well as selection tools to assist librarians in developing anarchist collections.